Although located at 150 million kilometers from Earth, the Sun is in our immediate neighborhood compared with all other stars. The observation of the Sun along the decades has provided amazingly detailed views of the structure and day-to-day life of a star; the high-resolution observations achieved from Earth and space in recent years, in particular, have facilitated reaching deep theoretical insights concerning the structure and evolution of stellar atmospheres and interiors.
The Sun constitutes a physics laboratory where the complex interactions between the matter (atoms, electrons and ions, or molecules) and the magnetic field can be studied in conditions difficult to reach in devices on Earth. Of particular interest for the public are the spectacular phenomena displayed by its atmosphere, its role in generating the magnetized clouds that, after traversing the interplanetary space, can impact on Earth's magnetosphere and lead to the potentially dangerous solar storms, and the mysteries of the solar interior. Understanding of all those phenomena is gained by a combination of refined theoretical methods and direct or indirect observation using leading-edge technologies.
The solar physics group at the IAC enjoys a leadership position in different branches of solar research in the world. This is exemplified by the award of four large research grants by the European Research Council in the past years to researchers of the group, by its leading role in the European Solar Telescope project, and by its participation in other international networks and instrument projects. Globally, the group combines theoretical methods (magneto-fluid dynamics and plasma physics, radiation transfer), including 3D numerical radiation-MHD modeling, and state-of-the-art observational and diagnostic techniques, to achieve deep understanding of what constitutes and drives the structure and activity of our star.
Solar Physics (FS)
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PublicationSignal detection for spectroscopy and polarimetryThe analysis of high spectral resolution spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric observations constitutes a very powerful way of inferring the dynamical...
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PublicationSignatures of Magnetic Reconnection at the Footpoints of Fan-shaped Jets on a Light Bridge Driven by Photospheric Convective MotionsDynamical jets are generally found on light bridges (LBs), which are key to studying sunspot decay. So far, their formation mechanism is not fully understood...
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PublicationSignatures of sunspot oscillations and the case for chromospheric resonancesSunspots host a large variety of oscillatory phenomena, whose properties depend on the nature of the wave modes and the magnetic and thermodynamic structure of...
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PublicationSignatures of the impact of flare-ejected plasma on the photosphere of a sunspot light bridgeAims: We investigate the properties of a sunspot light bridge, focusing on the changes produced by the impact of a plasma blob ejected from a C-class flare...
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PublicationSimulation of a flux emergence event and comparison with observations by HinodeAims: We study the observational signature of flux emergence in the photosphere using synthetic data from a 3D MHD simulation of the emergence of a twisted flux...
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PublicationSimulations of Magnetoacoustic Pulsations in Atmospheres of Rapidly Oscillating Ap StarsRapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars exhibit an astrophysically interesting combination of strong, dipolar-like magnetic fields and high-overtone p-mode...
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PublicationSimulations of the Biermann battery mechanism in two-fluid partially ionised plasmasContext. In the absence of an initial seed, the Biermann battery term of a non-ideal induction equation acts as a source that generates weak magnetic fields...
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PublicationSiphon flow in a cool magnetic loopContext. Siphon flows that are driven by a gas pressure difference between two photospheric footpoints of different magnetic field strength connected by...
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PublicationSmall Magnetic Loops Connecting the Quiet Surface and the Hot Outer Atmosphere of the SunSunspots are the most spectacular manifestation of solar magnetism, yet 99% of the solar surface remains "quiet" at any time of the solar cycle. The quiet sun...